Saturday, November 24, 2007

Getting to know you - Kalurah

It's finally time for another interview. I'm sorry it's been so long - but you know why, so... ;-)

This week we get to know Kalurah of while they play who's a very talented lady and if you visit her blog you'll see some mouthwatering recipes. Yum! Don't forget to leave some sweet comments for Kalurah when she reads the interview!

Have a lovely weekend, everyone!

Briefly describe yourself and what you makeI am a thirty year old happily married gal that stays at home with her 2, 4 and 6 year old children. I ”make”. Enough said! Whatever it is I need or want, I just make. With the exception of diapers....that’s one place I dare not go. I create my own cards, sew, quilt, crochet and embroider.

Who or what inspires you?I am constantly inspired by my children.

When / how did you learn?I’ve been making my own cards using watercolors, my own photography and colage since I was about 12 but I only just recently taught myself to sew, embroider and crochet.

Why do you 'bother' to make things by hand?I love the feeling of accomplishment that comes with creating something from nothing. Whenever I’m at a store, admiring something cute to buy, I try and think of a way to make it myself. I enjoy it and it’s fun!

What is your craft ”philosophy”?Create with your heart. Don’t make something just to get it done and over with. Live, breathe and dream what you create and you will leave a part of yourself in whatever you’re making. And it will show when you’ve completed it.

Fondest craft-related memory?I remember melting crayons onto paper with my little sister and my cousin when we were about 8 years old.

How do you deal with crafty mistakes?That’s usually when I discover new ”techniques” or just simply create a different way of doing something. It’s also great for ”embellishing”. What may start out as ”trying to hide it”, can turn into a happy mistake.

Favourite book(s) or craftbook(s)?I actually don’t own or read ANY craft books. I usually look to fashion mags for inspiration and ideas and also fellow craft bloggers.

Do you have a designated craft space? What does it mean to you?Yes, we just recently moved to a bigger house and I use the sunroom as my craft room. I love it! Wonderful light with a view into the backyard, so I can keep an eye on the kids.It’s my own personal space where I can catch some much-needed alone time and also spread my creative wings! Now, if only it had a door with a lock...

Do you use a sketchbook or journal?For jotting down ideas, I usually end up grabbing one of the kids sheets of paper they’ve drawn on and flip it over. But as for a journal, I have my trusty blog.

Why is crafting good for you?I truly believe that my crafting makes me a better person and a better mother. (Except for those times that I neglect my family for a couple hours to get that darn quilt finished!) It allows me time to myself, to relax, to think, to recharge. And of course, to create.

Is your craft a business as well? Any advice on running a crafty business?I JUST opened my own shop at Etsy. This is the first time I have attempted to sell my creations. I am nervous and excited, happy and nausious. All at the same time! I would actually love and welcome ANY advice from experienced sellers!

What impact (if any) has the internet had on your craft?The internet has opened a whole new world to me, not only through the publicity through Etsy. When I first began crafting, I decided to create my own blog. It started out as just a journal to keep track of my crafts and log photos of them. But soon, I was meeting new people, recieving feedback and getting loads of encouragement from people who didn’t even know me. The internet has effected my craft in such a huge way that I know would not have been possible by just ”networking” at the local park with other moms.

Do you make art or craft? Is there a difference?My art IS my craft. My craft IS my art. They both work harmoniously together. It couldn’t happen any other way.

If you could make any project without limits to cost, materials or even skill, what would it be?I would love to create a family tree quilt for my mother’s family, my father’s family, my Father-in-law’s family and Mother-in-law’s family. I think the biggest factor here, besides time, would be trying to come up with all those names and birthdates, going back as far as anyone can remember. I think it would be a true ”labor of love”.

Followers

embroidery thread lovers

Hello! I am having more than the usual amount of spam on the blog at the moment, so I have had to make some changes to the settings for comments.

If you are unable to leave a comment, it's not you, it's the blog. Hopefully the situation goes back to normal soon so we can have a civilized non-spammy conversation. ;-) Thank you for your patience. xo, Carina

* * Please note: some internal links on the blog/site may show up as "Google Error - Not Found". I am aware of this happening, I just haven't had time to fix them; this happens where the link is missing the www part, if you add this, the link should work fine. If you notice any 'bad' links like this, please let me know. Thank you for understanding. - Carina * *

You are welcome to use the tutorials and patterns for your own personal crafting pleasure. And if you like them, feel free to share links to them. You can even borrow an image or two if you link back here. Sharing is nice, it's what makes the crafty blogosphere so great! But stealing other people's content and passing it off as your own is not nice at all. So don't be that guy. Or gal.

Translating my tutorials or removing my copyright notice from images and posting the content as your own is not allowed. Thank you.